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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pass · march · fine · arm · hide · wave · mine · last

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. fine — high quality
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mine — for digging
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — a permit
  14. march — the month
  15. last — to go on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fine — all right
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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