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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: squash · track · sharp · mark · mug · hand · foot · staff

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. staff — employees
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. staff — a stick
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. staff — employees
  12. mug — to rob
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. hand — in cards
  16. track — a path
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. hand — help
  22. track — a song
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — 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