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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 116 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — a grade
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pass — a permit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. last — to go on
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — final
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bass — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — temperature
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. last — finally
  24. bass — the instrument

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