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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 116 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
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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: deal · chair · stand · wound · mark · season · file · track

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mark — a grade
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. file — a document
  9. deal — to handle
  10. season — of the year
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. file — a tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mark — a trace
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. file — a line of people
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. season — in sport

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