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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. march — music
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stand — to bear
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. march — the month
  15. rule — government
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. march — the month
  20. can — a tin
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. clip — a video
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. clip — to cut

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