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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. last — final
  3. can — a tin
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pass — a permit
  7. can — a tin
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. land — to come down
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. land — ground
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. current — electric
  16. can — to be able to
  17. last — finally
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — to go on
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. land — a country
  24. fan — a supporter

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