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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a document
  7. game — a match
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. field — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. shower — rain
  13. field — farmland
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. file — a tool
  20. stock — goods
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. field — a subject

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