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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. last — final
  12. ground — crushed
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. last — finally
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pass — a permit
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. shower — rain
  20. bound — certain
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ground — a position
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ground — the earth

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