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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. face — to point toward
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rush — hurry
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rash — a series
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rash — hasty
  24. face — to confront

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