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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 124 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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. sharp — clever
  7. can — a tin
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chest — a box
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kid — child
  19. can — a tin
  20. rush — hurry
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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