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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. swing — music
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. last — finally
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. fine — all right
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pass — a permit
  9. vault — a safe
  10. swing — to play on
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. last — final
  15. swing — in golf
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pass — to spend time

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