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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. can — a tin
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. march — music
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. spring — the season
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chair — a leader
  23. march — the month
  24. pass — a permit

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