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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rule — government
  6. roll — a cake
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rule — a law
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. can — to be able to
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. roll — a list

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