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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cold — an illness
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rest — a break
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cold — not warm
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rash — hasty

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