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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — for betting
  3. last — finally
  4. fine — all right
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — to go on
  10. chip — to eat
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. object — to protest
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bank — for money
  16. pass — a permit
  17. last — final
  18. bank — of a river
  19. object — a thing
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. object — an aim
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  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