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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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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 · arm · cell · leaves · court · date · wave · lie

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. court — of law
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — for sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. date — the fruit
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. court — of a king
  23. lie — to recline
  24. date — on the calendar

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