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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: toast · mark · court · track · date · pitcher · saw · nail

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — of a king
  4. date — the fruit
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. mark — a trace
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — bread
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a song
  14. court — of law
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — a grade
  19. court — for sport
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. saw — the tool

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