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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. spring — of water
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spell — letters
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. race — a contest
  9. spring — the season
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spell — magic
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — music
  19. face — to confront
  20. rash — a series
  21. swing — in golf
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. saw — the tool

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