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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — the animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bound — certain
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. net — in sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bat — in an idiom

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