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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pass — a permit
  7. tube — the underground
  8. can — to be able to
  9. tube — a container
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bear — the animal
  14. can — a tin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kid — to tease
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chest — a box
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kid — child

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