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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mug — a cup
  3. season — of the year
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. capital — money
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bore — to drill
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mug — a face
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. capital — a city
  24. mug — to rob

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