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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cold — an illness
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. chip — for betting
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cold — not warm
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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