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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.

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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: pass · pop · march · track · ground · drill · patient · net

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. net — in sport
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pop — to visit
  5. march — the month
  6. track — a song
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — a path
  9. pop — soda
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — music
  12. net — for catching
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pop — music
  19. net — after costs
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. drill — the tool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. patient — a sick person
  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