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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pass — a permit
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fall — the season
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — letters
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. season — in sport
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. march — music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — the month
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. lie — to recline

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