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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spell — a short time
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mate — a friend
  5. spell — magic
  6. net — for catching
  7. pass — a permit
  8. shower — rain
  9. net — in sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. drill — army training
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — the season
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. net — after costs
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stem — to come from

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