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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: mate · bass · track · pass · march · capital · cell · safe

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bass — the fish
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a partner
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. track — a path
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cell — in biology
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. march — the month
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. march — music
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bass — low music

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