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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bound — obliged
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. track — a song
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. last — finally
  20. bound — certain
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. last — final
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. track — a path

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