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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. game — a match
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lie — to recline
  8. can — a tin
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — shares
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. capital — a city
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. can — to be able to
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stock — goods
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ruler — for measuring

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