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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. file — a document
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. march — music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. file — a tool
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. march — the month
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ground — a position
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — the earth

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