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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. track — a song
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. track — a path
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rule — a law
  13. last — to go on
  14. vault — a safe
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bat — the animal

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