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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 120 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 · fall · land · tube · scale · sharp · track · stand

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tube — a container
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fall — to drop
  5. track — a path
  6. stand — to bear
  7. fall — the season
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. land — a country
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitch — completely
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — to keep track
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — in music
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. land — ground
  24. tube — the underground

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