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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. press — to push
  10. row — a line
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pass — a permit
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. court — of law
  22. row — to paddle
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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