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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: kick · wind · spell · track · date · pitch · file · bay

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — magic
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. file — a tool
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. track — a song
  13. file — a line of people
  14. track — a path
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kick — in football
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. file — a document
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bay — a horse colour

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