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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mug — a face
  6. season — of the year
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. clip — a video
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kid — child
  20. craft — boats
  21. clip — to cut
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pass — to succeed

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