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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. track — a song
  4. row — a line
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. track — a path
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bat — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stock — shares
  17. bound — certain
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stock — goods
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. stock — a soup base

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