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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. tube — a container
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. net — after costs
  14. season — in sport
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tear — to rip
  18. net — in sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — of the year
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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