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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 124 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cold — an illness
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fine — all right
  5. bass — low music
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rock — a stone
  17. snap — to click
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rock — music

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