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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. track — a path
  5. mark — a grade
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a song
  9. roll — a cake
  10. track — to keep track
  11. staff — employees
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — a stick
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — rain
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mark — a trace
  23. shower — to wash
  24. prune — to trim

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