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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rest — what's left
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ground — a position
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. season — of the year
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rest — a break

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