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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — a country
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fall — the season
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. land — to come down
  13. last — finally
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. last — to go on
  19. land — ground
  20. snap — to click
  21. bark — to shout
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — final

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