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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wind — moving air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. track — a path
  12. march — the month
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. march — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. track — a song
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — moving air

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