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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pop — soda
  5. track — a path
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cold — not warm
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. press — to push
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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