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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rock — music
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. craft — boats
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ball — a great time
  10. roll — a list
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kid — to tease
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pass — a permit
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. roll — a cake
  24. rock — to move gently

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