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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. date — the fruit
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fall — the season
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bat — the animal
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. can — a tin
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bat — in an idiom

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