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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. track — a song
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spring — a coil
  12. track — a path
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — to keep track
  17. craft — boats
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wound — an injury
  24. craft — a skill

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