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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 120 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: rush · pass · bay · sharp · rash · spring · face · lean

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. lean — thin
  11. spring — the season
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spring — of water
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pass — a permit

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