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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. present — there
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. row — a line
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. band — a ring
  9. track — to keep track
  10. present — the time now
  11. track — a path
  12. plane — a tool
  13. kick — in football
  14. wake — a trail
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. track — a song
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pass — a permit
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. present — a gift
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. band — a music group

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