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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 120 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: rest · temple · mark · track · suit · foot · spell · mine

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. rest — what's left
  5. suit — in cards
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mark — a grade
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. foot — a measure
  14. suit — clothes
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mine — for digging
  20. suit — to fit
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. rest — a break
  24. mine — an explosive

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