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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stock — shares
  5. march — music
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pass — a permit
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — rain
  18. track — a path
  19. chip — to eat
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. shower — to wash

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