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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: leaves · race · pass · squash · shower · fan · last · key

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — in music
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. key — for a lock
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. squash — to crush
  14. shower — to wash
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. squash — the sport
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. race — a contest

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