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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 120 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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cold — not warm
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. board — to get on
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rock — music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wound — an injury
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rock — a 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