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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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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: dip · march · track · content · net · pass · cue · can

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — a hint
  4. can — to be able to
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cue — for pool
  7. can — a tin
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — to keep track
  12. march — the month
  13. cue — a signal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. march — music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. content — happy
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. net — for catching
  20. pass — a permit
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a song

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