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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 116 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a hat
  6. root — of a word
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. root — the cause
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. chip — to eat
  24. root — of a plant

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