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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. track — to keep track
  3. band — a ring
  4. track — a song
  5. mine — for digging
  6. track — a path
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pass — a permit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. band — a music group
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. drill — army training

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