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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. can — a tin
  3. pass — a permit
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — a video
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. court — of law
  9. can — to be able to
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — for sport
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. plane — a tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. clip — to cut

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