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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. root — the cause
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. root — of a word
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. track — a song
  22. season — in sport
  23. track — a path
  24. cold — not warm

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