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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. can — a tin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. spell — letters
  11. lean — thin
  12. spell — magic
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — for sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. content — the amount
  18. can — to be able to
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. field — farmland
  21. lean — to bend
  22. content — happy
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. field — a subject

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