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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tear — to rip
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. net — in sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. sharp — clever
  20. track — a song
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mine — for digging
  23. board — a committee
  24. track — a path

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