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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. capital — money
  10. season — in sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — for catching
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. capital — a city
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. season — of the year
  23. lean — thin
  24. wound — an injury

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