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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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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: track · bore · content · pit · row · arm · fall · pass

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. track — a song
  7. bore — to drill
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. row — a line
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. content — the amount
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fall — the season
  17. pass — a permit
  18. content — happy
  19. row — to paddle
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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