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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pass — a permit
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. staff — employees
  8. mine — for digging
  9. last — final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. last — to go on
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. can — a tin
  18. last — finally
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. can — to be able to
  24. deal — to handle

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