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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — in sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. board — to get on
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. can — a tin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. net — after costs
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cold — not warm
  22. board — a committee
  23. hand — help
  24. net — for catching

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