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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cold — not warm
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. shower — rain
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pass — a permit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. saw — the tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cold — an illness
  20. suit — in cards
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stem — of a plant

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