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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pit — in a race
  15. court — of law
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. chest — a box
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. chest — of your body

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