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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pass — a permit
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lean — thin
  10. last — finally
  11. row — a line
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mate — to breed
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. last — to go on
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. mate — a friend
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. last — final
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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