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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: foot · mark · pitch · track · kid · drill · wound · cabinet

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. track — a path
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. track — a song
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — child
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. drill — a practice
  24. track — to keep track

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