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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. drill — a practice
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pass — a permit
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. drill — army training
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. fine — all right
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. row — a line

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