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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. track — a path
  6. capital — money
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. face — to point toward
  10. swing — in golf
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. swing — to play on
  17. band — a music group
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. swing — music
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. band — a ring
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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