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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — to keep track
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. roll — a cake
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pass — a permit
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. track — a path
  13. net — after costs
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. net — in sport
  17. roll — a list
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. track — a song
  22. net — for catching
  23. shower — rain
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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