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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — final
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. last — to go on
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. last — finally
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. land — ground
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mug — a face
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. land — a country
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mug — to rob
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cold — an illness
  24. land — to come down

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