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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · spring · pass · net · track · plane · march · sharp

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. kid — child
  3. plane — a tool
  4. kid — to tease
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. spring — a coil
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — the season
  9. net — for catching
  10. track — to keep track
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. net — in sport
  19. track — a path
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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