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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. file — a tool
  3. track — a song
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. content — the amount
  6. row — to paddle
  7. deal — to handle
  8. row — a line
  9. charge — in control
  10. track — to keep track
  11. file — a line of people
  12. content — happy
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. track — a path
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. charge — a price
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. file — a document

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