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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · stand · saw · track · sharp · capital · mate · mark

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. capital — a city
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stand — to bear
  16. track — a path
  17. mate — to breed
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — a trace
  21. kick — in football
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. kick — with a leg

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