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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pass — a permit
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mug — to rob
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. season — in sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. last — finally
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — a cup
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hand — help
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. mug — a face
  23. season — of the year
  24. stand — on your feet

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