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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: last · chest · bulb · pitcher · cold · nail · pass · suit

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. last — to go on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — final
  6. chest — a box
  7. last — finally
  8. cold — an illness
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. suit — to fit
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pass — to succeed
  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