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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. season — in sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. season — of the year
  15. bat — the animal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. file — a document
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a tool
  24. pass — a permit

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