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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — a price
  10. wind — moving air
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. charge — in control
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wind — moving air
  17. last — finally
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rest — what's left
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rest — a break
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. charge — electricity
  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