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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. last — to go on
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. snap — to click
  10. ball — a dance
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. shower — rain
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ball — a great time
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cell — a phone

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