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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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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: wake · kick · mark · club · march · toast · chest · track

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wake — a trail
  3. track — a song
  4. chest — a box
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — the month
  7. club — for golf
  8. track — a path
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — of your body
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. club — a group
  17. march — music
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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