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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. kid — child
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pass — a permit
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bat — for baseball

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