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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. track — a path
  6. spell — letters
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — a short time
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. spell — magic
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. track — to keep track

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