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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: hand · stock · lean · pass · mark · row · last · racket

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. row — to paddle
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. last — final
  8. stock — shares
  9. hand — help
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stock — goods
  12. row — a line
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. last — finally
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pass — a permit
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lean — to bend
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — to go on

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