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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · track · land · mouse · rash · ruler · saw · snap

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. land — ground
  6. pitch — completely
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — a country
  14. snap — to click
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — to come down
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. track — a song

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