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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: mark · mouse · cell · bear · track · clip · pass · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ground — a position
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mark — a trace
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. track — a path
  20. clip — a video
  21. track — a song
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bear — the animal

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