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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. face — to confront
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. season — in sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. march — the month
  15. ground — the earth
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. plane — a tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pass — a permit
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ground — a position
  24. season — of the year

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