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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pop — soda
  3. land — ground
  4. root — the cause
  5. pop — to visit
  6. last — final
  7. track — a path
  8. root — of a word
  9. last — finally
  10. mark — a grade
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. root — of a plant
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pop — music
  19. track — a song
  20. land — a country
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — to go on
  24. mark — a trace

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