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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — for betting
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — farmland
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pass — a permit
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rest — what's left
  15. staff — employees
  16. rest — a break
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. staff — a stick
  19. field — a subject
  20. game — a match
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — for sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. chip — in a computer

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