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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 120 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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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: last · mate · cold · chair · pass · craft · mark · pit

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. last — final
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. last — finally
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pass — a permit
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. last — to go on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. craft — boats
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cold — not warm

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