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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. track — a path
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bass — the fish
  5. file — a tool
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. present — there
  8. stock — goods
  9. perch — the fish
  10. present — the time now
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — an injury
  14. file — a document
  15. stock — shares
  16. track — to keep track
  17. present — a gift
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bass — low music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. track — a song

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