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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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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: rash · wind · spell · game · mate · pass · track · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pass — a permit
  4. game — a match
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rash — a series
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spell — letters
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — a song
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spell — magic
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — hasty
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mate — to breed
  24. track — a path

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