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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 · spring · face · cue · track · perch · fan · ball

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. face — part of the head
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spring — the season
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cue — for pool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. face — to confront
  14. spring — of water
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. track — a path
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mark — a trace
  23. track — a song
  24. ball — a dance

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