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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. press — to push
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. last — final
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ball — a great time
  11. content — happy
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pass — a permit
  15. last — to go on
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. ball — a dance
  19. last — finally
  20. content — the amount
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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