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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. can — a tin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pass — a permit
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. sharp — clever
  10. can — a tin
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — rain
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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