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

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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 — to pay attention
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wind — moving air
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. track — a path
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mark — a grade
  15. game — a match
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. snap — to click
  23. foot — a measure
  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