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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bear — the animal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. staff — employees
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. staff — employees
  24. roll — a list

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