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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 120 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: pass · sharp · hide · bat · clip · saw · wound · can

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. can — to be able to
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. clip — a video
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pass — a permit
  15. can — a tin
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hide — animal skin

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