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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. squash — to crush
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rest — a break
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pit — in a race
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cold — an illness
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wind — to turn a key

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