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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mark — a trace
  3. last — finally
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. degree — from a university
  8. land — a country
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. land — to come down
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. degree — an amount
  14. last — final
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. degree — temperature
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mark — a grade
  19. last — to go on
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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