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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ball — a great time
  10. track — a path
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a tool
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chip — for betting
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. file — a document

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