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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. kick — in football
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. court — for sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spell — letters
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — a short time
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. file — a tool
  14. court — of law
  15. spell — magic
  16. file — a document
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of a king
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chip — for betting
  23. temple — side of the head
  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