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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mark — a grade
  4. snap — to click
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — a song
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. row — a line
  15. charge — a price
  16. row — to paddle
  17. track — to keep track
  18. charge — in control
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. track — a path
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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