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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · spring · season · pass · kick · face · drill · track

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. staff — employees
  3. kick — in football
  4. drill — army training
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. track — a song
  7. spring — of water
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spring — the season
  12. track — to keep track
  13. season — in sport
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pass — a permit
  16. drill — the tool
  17. track — a path
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. drill — a practice
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — employees

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