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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. ground — a position
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. squash — to crush
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. can — to be able to
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ground — crushed
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pass — a permit
  24. squash — the sport

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