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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — letters
  19. pass — a permit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spell — magic

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