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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mark · mug · hand · wound · cold · key · pit · wake

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mug — a face
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pit — in a race

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