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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: tear · bound · coach · track · lie · pitch · swing · fall

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a path
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — music
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — tied together
  16. tear — from crying
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. track — a song
  19. fall — the season
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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