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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. can — a tin
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mug — to rob
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. can — to be able to
  10. drill — a practice
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mug — a cup
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — army training
  22. mug — a face
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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