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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: wound · tear · cue · pitch · bowl · face · wave · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. track — a path
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a song
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cue — for pool
  9. face — to confront
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cue — a signal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. tear — from crying
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. tear — from crying
  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