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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · track · mark · stem · bay · spring · pitch · game

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. track — a path
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — of water
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spring — the season
  22. game — a match
  23. mark — a trace
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com