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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: club · pass · face · rash · wave · chest · last · can

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. club — a group
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. can — a tin
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. can — to be able to
  10. club — for dancing
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rash — a series
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. can — a tin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. last — to go on
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chest — a box
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pass — a permit

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