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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bank — for money
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. file — a tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bank — for money
  13. file — a document
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. track — a song
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pass — to spend time

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