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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pass — a permit
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fall — the season
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — final
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chest — a box
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. roll — a list
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. last — to go on
  24. roll — a cake

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