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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. chair — a leader
  4. ground — a position
  5. track — to keep track
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pass — a permit
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. charge — a price
  18. clip — a video
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — crushed
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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