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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. field — a subject
  3. tube — a container
  4. hand — help
  5. tube — the underground
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. key — the most important part
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. field — for sport
  11. pass — a permit
  12. key — in music
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — in cards
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. key — for a lock
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. field — farmland
  22. can — a tin
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. tube — in a tire

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