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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · track · fork · mate · racket · bound

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — certain
  4. mate — to breed
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bound — obliged
  10. track — a song
  11. fork — in a road
  12. track — a path
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bound — tied together
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. track — to keep track

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