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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — finally
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. clip — a video
  6. pass — a permit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stand — to bear
  10. object — to protest
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. last — to go on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wake — a trail
  19. last — final
  20. clip — for paper
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. object — a thing
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. object — an aim

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