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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. key — in music
  4. cold — an illness
  5. club — for golf
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. key — for a lock
  18. spell — magic
  19. club — for dancing
  20. last — final
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. hand — help
  24. club — a group

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