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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. hand — help
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. object — to protest
  13. rest — a break
  14. object — a thing
  15. march — the month
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rest — what's left
  19. object — an aim
  20. cap — a hat
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. season — of the year

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