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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · mine · track · bear · march · pit · cold · wound

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cold — not warm
  7. track — a path
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bear — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. march — music
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. track — a song

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