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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 124 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. net — for catching
  10. fine — all right
  11. shower — to wash
  12. net — in sport
  13. staff — a stick
  14. net — after costs
  15. staff — employees
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fine — high quality
  20. shower — rain
  21. staff — employees
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pass — a permit
  24. kid — child

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