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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cold — not warm
  3. season — in sport
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. suit — to fit
  6. clip — a video
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rash — a series
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rash — hasty
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. suit — in cards

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