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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. ground — a position
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. sharp — clever
  11. lean — thin
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ground — crushed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ground — the earth
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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