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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: staff · mug · spell · pass · rest · drill · track · march

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. track — a song
  4. march — music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rest — a break
  7. pass — a permit
  8. staff — employees
  9. march — the month
  10. mug — to rob
  11. spell — a short time
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. march — the month
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mug — a face
  20. staff — employees
  21. track — a path
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. mug — a cup
  24. drill — army training

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