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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stem — to come from
  4. track — a song
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pass — a permit
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bound — tied together
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. snap — to click
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. track — a path
  24. craft — boats

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