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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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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: game · suit · pass · hand · leaves · squash · fine · spring

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fine — all right
  4. pass — a permit
  5. hand — help
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. spring — of water
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. hand — in cards
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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