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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. track — a song
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. track — a path
  7. court — of a king
  8. date — the fruit
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. court — for sport
  16. track — to keep track
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. court — of law
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. snap — to click
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rest — what's left

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