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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fall — to drop
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stock — shares
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. band — a music group
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spell — magic
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fall — the season
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stock — goods
  23. band — a ring
  24. spell — a short time

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