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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mate — a friend
  3. key — the most important part
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. board — to get on
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tube — the underground
  9. race — humankind
  10. tube — a container
  11. board — a committee
  12. key — in music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mine — for digging
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chip — for betting
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. board — a flat piece

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