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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · ground · wind · staff · pass · bark · safe · track

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. ground — a position
  5. pass — a permit
  6. staff — employees
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. ground — crushed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — employees
  16. bark — to shout
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pass — to spend time

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