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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. last — final
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. deal — to handle
  12. track — a path
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. last — finally
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. last — to go on
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. track — a song
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. lash — an eyelash

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