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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rest — a break
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. field — for sport
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fall — to drop
  15. field — farmland
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — a subject
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fall — the season
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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