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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. object — to protest
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. object — a thing
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — a song
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — a path
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. object — an aim
  24. plane — in geometry

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