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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. saw — the tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — of the year
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fine — high quality
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. season — in sport

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