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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. ground — crushed
  3. object — an aim
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — a position
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. object — to protest
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. staff — employees
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a tool
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. object — a thing
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — a path
  24. season — in sport

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