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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wound — an injury
  11. file — a document
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mark — a trace
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mate — a partner
  20. file — a tool
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. fine — all right

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