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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. season — of the year
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. season — in sport
  17. bore — to drill
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. dip — to sink
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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