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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. track — to keep track
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. land — a country
  5. last — to go on
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. last — finally
  8. snap — to click
  9. club — a group
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. present — a gift
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a path
  16. pass — a permit
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. club — for golf
  20. present — the time now
  21. club — for dancing
  22. present — there
  23. track — a song
  24. last — final

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