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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. season — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rash — hasty
  13. shower — rain
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — a hat
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cap — a lid
  24. object — to protest

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