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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: hand · mark · wind · dip · foot · scale · march · chest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. march — the month
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. march — music
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wind — moving air
  15. dip — to sink
  16. scale — in music
  17. hand — help
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mark — a trace
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. foot — a measure
  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