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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · racket · bat · pass · sharp · can · hand · snap

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. sharp — clever
  5. snap — to click
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. can — a tin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hand — in cards
  12. spell — a short time
  13. can — a tin
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. hand — help
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. can — to be able to
  24. spell — magic

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