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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: mark · saw · pass · staff · track · bore · shower · last

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. last — finally
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pass — a permit
  7. track — a song
  8. staff — employees
  9. last — final
  10. staff — employees
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — rain
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bore — to tire
  17. track — to keep track
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mark — a grade
  24. last — to go on

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