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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 120 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: tear · shower · pass · track · bay · saw · last · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. shower — to wash
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a song
  7. cue — a signal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. last — final
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. tear — from crying
  18. track — a path
  19. tear — to rip
  20. track — to keep track
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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