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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. shower — rain
  5. mug — to rob
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mug — a face
  8. bound — certain
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. season — of the year

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