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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. game — a match
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mark — a trace
  7. track — to keep track
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. track — a path
  15. cell — a phone
  16. march — the month
  17. game — wild animals
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. track — a song
  21. march — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. staff — a stick

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