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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stem — to come from
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. can — a tin
  8. file — a document
  9. cap — a hat
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. file — a line of people
  13. snap — to click
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. file — a tool
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bark — to shout
  24. can — to be able to

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