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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: mark · track · present · cue · net · capital · snap · bowl

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cue — a signal
  6. present — there
  7. track — a song
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. track — a path
  10. cue — for pool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. present — a gift
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — a hint
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. capital — a city
  17. net — in sport
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. snap — to click
  21. capital — money
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — the time now

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