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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: cell · track · last · kick · row · pass · ball · rest

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pass — a permit
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. ball — a great time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. last — to go on
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. track — a song
  11. cell — in biology
  12. track — a path
  13. row — to paddle
  14. last — final
  15. row — a line
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — finally
  19. kick — in football
  20. rest — a break
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ball — a round shape

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