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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: mark · rash · key · date · track · fork · ground · wind

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — a position
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rash — hasty
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rash — a series
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — a path
  23. mark — a grade
  24. date — on the calendar

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