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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mark — a grade
  8. tube — a container
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. plane — a tool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. spell — magic
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. pound — for dogs

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