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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. plane — a tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — army training
  14. cap — a hat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cap — a lid
  24. plane — in geometry

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