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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. vault — a safe
  3. last — finally
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. track — a song
  6. land — ground
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. track — a path
  12. land — a country
  13. last — final
  14. land — to come down
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. track — to keep track
  21. last — to go on
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — a line

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