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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — in golf
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — final
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. swing — to play on
  18. scale — size or range
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. last — to go on
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. mate — to breed
  24. nail — for a hammer

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