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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 · last · rock · clip · pass · wave · mate · pit

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. clip — for paper
  3. track — a path
  4. pit — in a race
  5. last — to go on
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pit — a hole
  16. track — a song
  17. clip — a video
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — final
  20. mate — a partner
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rock — music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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