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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: pitch · pound · object · pitcher · track · game · cap · last

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cap — a lid
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. last — finally
  5. track — a song
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. object — a thing
  10. pound — a weight
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — completely
  13. game — a match
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. track — a path
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitcher — a jug

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