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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 116 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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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: staff · fall · track · bay · bowl · ground · cue · pit

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ground — the earth
  5. track — a song
  6. fall — the season
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. track — a path
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. staff — employees
  14. cue — for pool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — a position
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. staff — employees
  24. ground — crushed

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