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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: rest · track · stand · mine · mouse · tear · court · pitch

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rest — a break
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. court — of law
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of a king
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. track — a song
  23. court — for sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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