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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. band — a music group
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. last — finally
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pass — a permit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a ring
  24. mate — a partner

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