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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: fan · hand · track · foot · bay · bowl · mark · mine

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. hand — help
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mark — a grade
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. foot — part of the 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