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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: wind · can · pass · pop · arm · wave · vault · court

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. court — for sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. pop — music
  10. pass — a permit
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pop — soda
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. court — of a king
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wind — moving air
  24. court — of law

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