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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: pass · wake · ground · bay · file · game · tear · nail

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tear — from crying
  6. game — a match
  7. tear — from crying
  8. file — a tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a document
  12. ground — the earth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ground — a position
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pass — a permit
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. file — a line of people

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