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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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Word bank
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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. spell — letters
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pit — in a race
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. board — to get on
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pass — a permit
  24. fan — to cool the air

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