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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wound — an injury
  9. roll — a cake
  10. march — music
  11. season — of the year
  12. bark — to shout
  13. march — the month
  14. season — in sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. roll — a list
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. march — the month
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. kid — child
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bear — the animal

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