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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. board — to get on
  4. face — part of the head
  5. season — in sport
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spring — the season
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — to confront
  17. ball — a great time
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. season — of the year
  20. mine — for digging
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. board — a committee
  24. spring — a coil

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