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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. tube — a container
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a song
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — a country
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. pass — a permit
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wake — a trail
  16. staff — a stick
  17. land — to come down
  18. clip — for paper
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. game — wild animals
  21. track — a path
  22. game — a match
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a kind of play

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