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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: rash · rule · sharp · season · squash · pass · tear · cell

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rule — a law
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — of the year
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rash — a series
  9. squash — to crush
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cell — a phone
  17. tear — to rip
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rule — government
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. sharp — with an edge

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