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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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 — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. file — a document
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. court — for sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bulb — for light
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. court — of law
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. file — a line of people
  19. court — of a king
  20. last — finally
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tube — a container
  23. file — a tool
  24. tube — the underground

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