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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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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: mouse · dip · last · leaves · season · track · pitch · key

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. season — in sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — a song
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. key — the most important part
  11. last — final
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. season — of the year
  16. key — in music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. key — for a lock
  19. track — a path
  20. pitch — completely
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. last — finally
  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