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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. last — final
  4. bear — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. last — finally
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bank — for money
  14. cap — of ice
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bank — for money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. snap — to click
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rest — a break
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bank — of a river

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