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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. branch — a division
  7. game — a match
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. band — a music group
  20. snap — to click
  21. cap — of ice
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. band — a ring
  24. cap — a lid

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