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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bulb — for light
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a tool
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — help
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. file — a document
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — part of the body

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