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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: season · squash · sharp · capital · pass · mug · plane · wound

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — of the year
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. capital — money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. capital — a city
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. squash — to crush
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. season — in sport
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. sharp — clever

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