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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: bat · file · ground · track · last · bound · wave · mark

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ground — crushed
  3. track — a song
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. track — to keep track
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bound — certain
  10. last — to go on
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. track — a path
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mark — a grade
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ground — a position
  22. file — a tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. file — a document

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