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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 · content · mouse · object · bound · track · bat · hand

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. hand — help
  3. object — to protest
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bound — certain
  9. object — a thing
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. track — to keep track
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. content — happy
  23. track — a path
  24. object — an aim

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