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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. face — to point toward
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cap — of ice
  15. band — a ring
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. band — a music group
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wave — of the sea

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