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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. press — to push
  6. track — a path
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. snap — to click
  12. chest — of your body
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chest — a box

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