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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bore — to drill
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. deal — to handle
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. can — a tin
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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