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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. band — a ring
  3. net — for catching
  4. ground — a position
  5. net — after costs
  6. track — a path
  7. band — a music group
  8. face — part of the head
  9. track — to keep track
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. net — in sport
  21. suit — in cards
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. suit — to fit

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