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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. deal — to handle
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pit — a hole
  6. stem — to come from
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. row — a line
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pass — a permit
  13. branch — a division
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. shower — rain
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. shower — to wash
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pit — in a race

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