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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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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bat — the animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. cap — a lid
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bass — low music
  22. row — a line
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bass — the instrument

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