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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · racket · pass · swing · shower · hand · leaves · mate

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. mate — to breed
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mate — a partner
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stock — goods
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. swing — to play on
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mate — a friend
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pass — a permit
  20. swing — music
  21. hand — help
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. racket — a loud noise

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