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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a partner
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rash — a series
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kick — in football
  21. degree — an amount
  22. lean — thin
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mate — to breed

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