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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. last — finally
  3. fine — all right
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. object — an aim
  6. degree — from a university
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. last — final
  10. rush — hurry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. last — to go on
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. object — a thing
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fine — high quality
  24. object — to protest

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