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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 120 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 do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. club — a group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pass — a permit
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. file — a line of people
  17. club — for golf
  18. file — a tool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. file — a document

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