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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pass — a permit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. bat — the animal

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