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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 116 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ground — a position
  17. track — a song
  18. cap — a hat
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — a division
  21. swing — music
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. track — a path
  24. cap — of ice

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