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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: mouse · cold · track · sharp · can · march · mark · ball

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. march — the month
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mark — a trace
  7. track — to keep track
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a song
  14. cold — an illness
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. can — to be able to
  21. ball — a great time
  22. can — a tin
  23. mark — a grade
  24. sharp — exactly

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