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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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 — to succeed
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. track — a song
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cell — in biology
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. spring — of water
  15. rule — a law
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rule — government
  18. spring — the season
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cell — in a prison
  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