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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: wound · mark · pitcher · track · last · cue · chest · temple

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. last — final
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. chest — a box
  5. last — to go on
  6. track — a song
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. track — a path
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. last — finally
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chest — of your body

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