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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — to keep track
  5. branch — a division
  6. track — a path
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. sharp — clever
  10. current — happening now
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — for catching
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. current — electric
  16. net — after costs
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bore — to tire
  19. net — in sport
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. track — a song
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. current — of water
  24. bore — to drill

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