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

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. band — a music group
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — final
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — employees
  13. season — of the year
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. band — a ring
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. last — finally
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. season — in sport
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fine — high quality

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