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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 116 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: pitcher · track · ball · mark · fall · season · face · nail

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — part of the head
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fall — the season
  9. season — in sport
  10. track — to keep track
  11. season — of the year
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. track — a song
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. face — to confront
  17. mark — a grade
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — a path
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pitcher — a jug

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