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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. last — finally
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rock — music
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cold — not warm
  21. last — to go on
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cold — an illness

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