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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pass — a permit
  3. land — to come down
  4. cap — of ice
  5. land — ground
  6. object — to protest
  7. last — finally
  8. cap — a lid
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. object — a thing
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. land — a country
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. press — to push
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. last — to go on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — an aim

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