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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: mark · rash · chair · mouse · bat · track · game · stem

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rash — a series
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. game — a match
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mark — a trace
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bat — for baseball

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