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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pass — a permit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. season — in sport
  12. wake — a trail
  13. kid — child
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. season — of the year
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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