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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. capital — a city
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chip — to eat
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — money
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. file — a document
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. file — a tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. file — a line of people
  22. date — the fruit
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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