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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rash — a series
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hand — help
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — low music
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — in cards
  17. swing — music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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