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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: mark · roll · face · last · arm · spell · pass · mine

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. face — to confront
  6. last — finally
  7. face — to point toward
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. face — part of the head
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — to go on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. spell — magic
  20. last — final
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — letters
  24. roll — a list

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