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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — a face
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mug — a cup
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. current — of water
  16. rush — hurry
  17. current — happening now
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. shower — rain
  21. stem — to come from
  22. current — electric
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mug — to rob

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