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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. track — a path
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. track — a song
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spell — a short time
  15. sharp — clever
  16. file — a line of people
  17. track — to keep track
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. prune — to trim
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. deal — a big deal

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