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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: mug · pitcher · swing · wound · march · track · present · nail

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. present — there
  3. mug — to rob
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. present — the time now
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — a song
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mug — a cup
  16. march — music
  17. present — a gift
  18. march — the month
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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