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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rule — government
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spring — the season
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rest — what's left
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rest — a break
  10. degree — an amount
  11. face — part of the head
  12. staff — employees
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. face — to confront
  17. staff — employees
  18. spring — of water
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — a law

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