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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stock — goods
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. season — of the year
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — a lid
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pass — a permit
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stock — shares

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