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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. race — humankind
  4. pass — a permit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. snap — to click
  8. spell — magic
  9. track — a song
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ball — a great time
  17. race — a contest
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spell — letters
  20. ball — a dance
  21. track — to keep track
  22. date — the fruit
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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