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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mark — a grade
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. track — a path
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. roll — a list
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. track — a song
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. roll — a cake
  24. track — to keep track

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