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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. squash — the sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. field — a subject
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. lie — to recline
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pass — a permit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rest — a break

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