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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 124 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. land — ground
  7. season — of the year
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — a cup
  10. present — there
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. season — in sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pass — a permit
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. land — a country
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — to come down
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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