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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: bowl · can · clip · pit · bat · date · tear · pass

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. can — to be able to
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pit — in a race
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. can — a tin
  12. date — the fruit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bat — the animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pass — a permit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bowl — a dish

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