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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. hand — help
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — of the year
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. branch — a division
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. face — to point toward
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cold — an illness
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cold — not warm
  19. season — in sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. face — part of the head
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. sharp — clever

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