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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. last — finally
  3. rash — a series
  4. board — to get on
  5. pass — a permit
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — final
  13. track — to keep track
  14. root — of a plant
  15. key — in music
  16. root — the cause
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. root — of a word
  20. rash — hasty
  21. board — a committee
  22. key — the most important part
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. key — for a lock

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