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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stock — shares
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wake — a trail
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. file — a document
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — goods
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. calf — a young 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