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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. file — a tool
  3. track — a path
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — to come from
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bat — the animal
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. track — a song
  17. last — final
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. last — to go on
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. foot — a measure

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