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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 124 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. last — final
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pass — a permit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fine — high quality
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. last — finally
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. degree — temperature
  22. land — to come down
  23. last — to go on
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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