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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. season — of the year
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. season — in sport
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. track — a path
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — clever
  18. roll — a list
  19. track — a song
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. track — to keep track
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wind — moving 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