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

Word bank: track · pass · sharp · net · pit · snap · land · board

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. land — ground
  4. track — a song
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. pit — in a race
  8. track — a path
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. net — in sport
  13. land — a country
  14. board — to get on
  15. land — to come down
  16. pass — a permit
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. net — after costs
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. net — for catching
  22. pit — a hole
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. track — to keep track

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