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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. court — of law
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. court — of a king
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. current — of water
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. court — for sport
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. current — happening now
  20. pass — a permit
  21. current — electric
  22. hand — help
  23. sharp — clever
  24. hand — in cards

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