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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. last — final
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. last — finally
  7. bear — the animal
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. last — to go on
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. vault — a safe
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cue — a hint
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cue — for pool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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