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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. toast — bread
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chip — for betting
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a dance
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mate — to breed
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. chip — to eat
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mate — a partner
  15. degree — an amount
  16. chair — a leader
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. toast — the most admired

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