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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: mouse · fine · mark · roll · sharp · bat · bound · track

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. roll — a cake
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fine — high quality
  12. sharp — clever
  13. track — a path
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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