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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · clip · racket · track · bowl · pitcher · plane · fall

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. track — to keep track
  7. clip — for paper
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. clip — a video
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. clip — to cut
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fall — the season
  20. track — a song
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stand — for spectators

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