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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — a phone
  5. season — of the year
  6. rule — a law
  7. bat — the animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. season — in sport
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rule — government
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cell — in a prison

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