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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. court — for sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. land — to come down
  10. court — of law
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. court — of a king
  18. land — a country
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pass — a permit
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bowl — a football final

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