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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. firm — a company
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. hand — help
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — a song
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bat — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fall — to drop
  20. firm — steady
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fall — the season
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mark — a trace

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