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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. file — a tool
  3. pop — music
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pop — soda
  7. track — a song
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. shower — rain
  11. roll — a cake
  12. present — a gift
  13. pass — a permit
  14. date — the fruit
  15. roll — a list
  16. present — there
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. shower — to wash
  21. track — a path
  22. file — a document
  23. track — to keep track
  24. present — the time now

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