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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. current — of water
  3. spell — magic
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. last — finally
  6. shower — to wash
  7. last — final
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. last — to go on
  11. current — happening now
  12. march — the month
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. spell — a short time
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. shower — rain
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pass — a permit
  20. current — electric
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. spell — letters
  23. key — for a lock
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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