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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: game · deal · ball · track · spring · pitch · fall · saw

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ball — a great time
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fall — to drop
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pitch — completely
  11. spring — the season
  12. track — a song
  13. saw — the tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. ball — a dance
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fall — the season
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. game — a match
  24. spring — a coil

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