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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rash — a series
  3. rush — hurry
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. track — a song
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. track — a path

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