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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. last — final
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pass — a permit
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rock — a stone
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rock — music
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mate — a partner
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. present — the time now
  19. branch — a division
  20. last — to go on
  21. present — there
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mate — to breed
  24. present — a gift

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