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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. season — of the year
  3. bound — obliged
  4. season — in sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. firm — decided
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. root — the cause
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. firm — steady
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — to paddle
  15. firm — a company
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. root — of a word
  18. cold — an illness
  19. row — a line
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bound — tied together
  23. season — to add flavour
  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