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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. hand — help
  13. toast — bread
  14. stem — to come from
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. file — a line of people
  18. shower — to wash
  19. file — a tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hand — in cards
  23. file — a document
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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