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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. saw — the tool
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fine — all right
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — a container
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — 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