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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: craft · roll · can · pass · bore · lean · bat · toast

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. craft — boats
  5. bore — to tire
  6. craft — a skill
  7. toast — bread
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. roll — a cake
  11. lean — thin
  12. bore — to drill
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pass — a permit
  15. roll — a list
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — the animal
  24. craft — a handicraft

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