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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bass — low music
  13. hand — help
  14. pass — a permit
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. hand — in cards
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. plane — in geometry

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