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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 116 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: hide · saw · game · mine · mark · track · bat · current

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bat — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — a song
  5. game — a match
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. current — happening now
  11. mark — a trace
  12. current — electric
  13. game — wild animals
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mine — for digging
  17. current — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. track — a path
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — belonging to me

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