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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spell — magic
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mate — to breed
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. last — finally
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. game — a match
  15. last — to go on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. track — to keep track
  19. last — final
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bark — to shout
  23. track — a song
  24. mate — a partner

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