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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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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: kick · jam · pass · face · craft · cold · spring · mate

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mate — a friend
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. spring — a coil
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. face — to point toward
  10. kick — in football
  11. spring — of water
  12. craft — a skill
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. mate — to breed
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. craft — boats
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. spring — the season
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. face — to confront
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mate — a partner
  24. kick — a thrill

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