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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. spring — the season
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. deal — to handle
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. spring — a coil
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mine — for digging
  19. stock — goods
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — of water
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stock — shares
  24. deal — an agreement

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