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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside 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 succeed
  3. file — a document
  4. can — a tin
  5. tear — from crying
  6. can — a tin
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a face
  9. rest — a break
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a tool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chair — to sit on

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