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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. season — in sport
  8. pass — a permit
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rash — hasty
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lie — to recline
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. shower — rain
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — of the year
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. scale — in music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bass — low music
  24. rash — a series

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