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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · club · mine · pass · row · lie · deal · last

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. last — final
  4. deal — to handle
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lie — to recline
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. club — a group
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. last — finally
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mine — for digging
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. last — to go on
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. deal — an agreement

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