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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. season — in sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. sharp — clever
  10. last — final
  11. track — a song
  12. shower — rain
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. last — finally
  17. season — of the year
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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