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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spell — a short time
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. date — the fruit
  13. spell — letters
  14. game — a match
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — magic

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