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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pit — in a race
  4. can — a tin
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wake — a trail
  12. can — a tin
  13. capital — money
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. ground — crushed
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pass — a permit
  19. deal — to handle
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wake — before a funeral

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