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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: ground · coach · board · roll · last · plane · cell · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. last — finally
  3. roll — a list
  4. last — final
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. roll — a cake
  8. plane — a tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. cell — a phone
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ground — the earth
  18. board — to get on
  19. ground — crushed
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. ground — a position
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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