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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. file — a tool
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rush — hurry
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — help
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. file — a line of people
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. file — a document
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. march — music
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — part of the body

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