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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: can · pass · present · last · jam · mark · fine · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pass — a permit
  8. last — final
  9. can — a tin
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. last — finally
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. present — a gift
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fine — all right
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. last — to go on
  21. present — the time now
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. present — there
  24. fine — high quality

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