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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. last — final
  4. rock — music
  5. snap — to click
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. object — an aim
  9. game — a match
  10. object — to protest
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tube — a container
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. last — finally
  16. can — to be able to
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — a tin
  19. rock — a stone
  20. can — a tin
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tube — the underground
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pass — a permit

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