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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. suit — in cards
  4. track — a song
  5. date — the fruit
  6. march — the month
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. suit — to fit
  11. season — of the year
  12. track — to keep track
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. suit — clothes
  15. march — music
  16. mark — a grade
  17. march — the month
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mark — a trace
  24. season — to add flavour

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