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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 120 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. clip — to cut
  3. track — to keep track
  4. firm — a company
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bass — low music
  7. clip — a video
  8. firm — steady
  9. band — a ring
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. track — a path
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — a song
  16. firm — decided
  17. band — a music group
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. last — final
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pass — a permit
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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