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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bark — to shout
  9. last — final
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. present — there
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. present — a gift
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. last — finally
  19. track — a path
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. track — a song
  22. present — the time now
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. track — to keep track

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