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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: shower · file · mark · track · nail · pass · pop · court

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pop — soda
  4. file — a tool
  5. track — a song
  6. court — for sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. track — a path
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pop — music
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. court — of law
  15. mark — a grade
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pop — to visit
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. shower — to wash
  21. file — a line of people
  22. court — of a king
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a document

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