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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — to shout
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. can — a tin
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — to rip
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — the animal
  24. snap — to click

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