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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — to go on
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. key — for a lock
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. row — to paddle
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. row — a line
  20. scale — size or range
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. squash — to crush
  23. scale — in music
  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