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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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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: cue · date · pitch · drill · fall · kick · mark · track

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fall — to drop
  5. track — to keep track
  6. drill — a practice
  7. kick — in football
  8. date — the fruit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mark — a grade
  11. track — a path
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. drill — army training
  16. track — a song
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kick — with a leg

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