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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. season — of the year
  3. suit — clothes
  4. staff — a stick
  5. roll — a cake
  6. staff — employees
  7. suit — to fit
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. staff — employees
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — government
  13. hand — help
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. roll — a list
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. suit — in cards
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. season — in sport

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