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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.

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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: patient · trunk · march · track · mug · mark · sharp · court

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mark — a trace
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. march — music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — for sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — a song
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. track — a path
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mug — a face
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. march — the month
  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