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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. can — a tin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. roll — a cake
  11. rash — a series
  12. roll — a list
  13. pass — a permit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. field — farmland
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. present — there
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. row — a line
  22. object — a thing
  23. field — a subject
  24. roll — on a roll

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