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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: track · rush · pass · cold · nail · game · bat · plane

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. track — a song
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cold — not warm
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. track — a path
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. plane — a tool
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cold — an illness
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. game — a match
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. track — to keep track

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