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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: game · safe · charge · cold · mark · track · mug · rock

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — a match
  3. track — a path
  4. mark — a trace
  5. charge — a price
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. track — a song
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — music
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. track — to keep track
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — an illness
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mug — a cup

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