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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. swing — to play on
  7. fine — all right
  8. bank — for money
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. field — farmland
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pass — a permit
  15. march — music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. chip — for betting
  21. plane — a tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. swing — music

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