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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — a tin
  5. land — ground
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. current — of water
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. current — electric
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kid — child
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — a country
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bat — the animal
  23. current — happening now
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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