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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. last — to go on
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. season — of the year
  5. scale — size or range
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. last — finally
  13. perch — the fish
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. last — final
  20. scale — in music
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cold — not warm
  23. vault — a safe
  24. season — in sport

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