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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fine — all right
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bank — for money
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — in sport
  9. last — to go on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. last — finally
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bank — of a river
  17. last — final
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pass — to succeed

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