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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. face — to confront
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bound — certain
  9. bass — low music
  10. net — after costs
  11. pass — a permit
  12. key — the most important part
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bound — tied together
  15. track — a path
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. key — in music
  21. net — for catching
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. net — in sport
  24. face — to point toward

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