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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: march · track · ground · game · mark · wake · bore · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. march — music
  6. mark — a trace
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bore — to drill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. march — the month
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. track — a path
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ground — crushed
  20. game — a match
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mark — a grade
  24. sharp — exactly

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