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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cap — of ice
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pass — a permit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mug — a face
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mine — for digging
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cap — a hat
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — a cup
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pit — a hole

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