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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: mark · shower · last · chip · ball · fork · cell · track

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. track — a path
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. track — a song
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. last — final
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mark — a trace

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