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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — to go on
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. last — finally
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. last — final
  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