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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. row — a line
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pass — a permit
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rule — government
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. season — of the year
  15. chair — a leader
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. track — a path
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rule — a law

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