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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: ground · face · pass · squash · rash · spring · band · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. pit — a hole
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. band — a ring
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — a position
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rash — a series
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. face — to confront
  24. squash — the vegetable

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