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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cell — in biology
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. net — after costs
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. net — for catching
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. plane — a tool
  20. last — finally
  21. pass — a permit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wax — in the ear

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