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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. board — a committee
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. snap — to click
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. track — a song
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bore — to tire
  24. board — to get on

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