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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bass — low music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rest — a break
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. tube — a container
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. kick — in football
  24. bass — the fish

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