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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. pass — a permit
  8. snap — to click
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. band — a music group
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. band — a ring

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