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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. stock — shares
  3. pass — a permit
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — final
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. last — to go on
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — goods

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