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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. track — a path
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cold — an illness
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. track — a song
  13. game — a match
  14. ground — a position
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. roll — a list
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cold — not warm

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