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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · rule · lash · pass · march · face · season · track

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cold — not warm
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. face — to confront
  7. cold — an illness
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — music
  11. track — a path
  12. season — in sport
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pass — a permit
  20. track — a song
  21. season — of the year
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. march — the month
  24. rule — a law

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