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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. rock — music
  5. spell — letters
  6. current — of water
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — magic
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mate — to breed
  15. current — electric
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. current — happening now
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rock — a stone
  24. spell — a short time

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