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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: ball · roll · kid · can · straw · sharp · pass · file

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. roll — a list
  5. can — a tin
  6. file — a tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. can — to be able to
  9. kid — child
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. file — a line of people
  12. can — a tin
  13. pass — a permit
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ball — a great time
  17. roll — a cake
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. file — a document
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pass — to spend time

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