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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. clip — for paper
  3. game — a match
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ground — a position
  7. clip — a video
  8. pass — a permit
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bat — the animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ground — crushed
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. ground — the earth

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