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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. face — to confront
  6. bulb — for light
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a song
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. track — a path
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. face — part of the head
  18. track — to keep track
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. shower — to wash
  24. leaves — to go away

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