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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 · pass · arm · mark · vault · hand · pit · staff

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. vault — a safe
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pit — in a race
  9. staff — employees
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. last — final
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. hand — help
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. last — to go on
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pit — a hole
  23. staff — a stick
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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