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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: track · march · wake · rash · can · kick · object · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. can — a tin
  4. track — to keep track
  5. march — music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kick — in football
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. object — to protest
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — the month
  18. can — to be able to
  19. track — a song
  20. object — a thing
  21. track — a path
  22. can — a tin
  23. object — an aim
  24. march — the month

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