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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. can — a tin
  5. cue — a hint
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. dip — to sink
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — in sport
  11. rule — a law
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — a line
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — after costs
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cue — a signal
  22. net — for catching
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rule — government

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