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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. last — final
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. season — of the year
  8. firm — a company
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. last — finally
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rock — music
  14. track — a song
  15. pass — a permit
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. last — to go on
  18. season — in sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. firm — steady
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rock — a stone
  24. firm — decided

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