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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. last — to go on
  5. can — a tin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. craft — boats
  8. can — to be able to
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. can — a tin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — final
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. last — finally
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bear — the animal

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