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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pass — a permit
  4. root — of a word
  5. rest — a break
  6. rock — music
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bat — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. root — the cause
  11. plane — a tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rest — what's left
  19. root — of a plant
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — in geometry

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