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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stem — to come from
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spring — a coil
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — of water
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pass — a permit
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — the season

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