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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 · toast · cell · mark · fall · tear · bowl · key

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tear — from crying
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. key — in music
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. toast — bread
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cell — in biology
  22. key — for a lock
  23. mark — a grade
  24. tear — from crying

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