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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stem — to come from
  6. object — an aim
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. last — finally
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mate — a friend
  11. drill — army training
  12. mate — a partner
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. drill — the tool
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. last — to go on
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mate — to breed
  20. object — to protest
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. last — final
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. object — a thing

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