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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: snap · pitcher · track · ground · last · mate · pass · calf

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to click
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. track — a song
  7. last — to go on
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — finally
  12. mate — a friend
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mate — a partner
  15. track — a path
  16. last — final
  17. ground — the earth
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — crushed
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mate — to breed

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