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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: row · toast · bay · saw · trunk · track · pass · mark

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pass — a permit
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. track — a path
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. row — to paddle
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. row — a line
  19. saw — the tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. track — a song
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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