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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a grade
  6. track — to keep track
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. track — a path
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. game — wild animals

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