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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stand — to bear
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. track — to keep track
  7. board — a committee
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. key — in music
  11. spell — letters
  12. track — a song
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. spell — a short time
  16. chip — to eat
  17. spell — magic
  18. board — to get on
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pit — in a race
  23. track — a path
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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