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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: pass · wave · ball · straw · firm · plane · cold · rule

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cold — not warm
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rule — a law
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. rule — government
  24. pass — a permit

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