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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. file — a tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a line of people
  10. firm — steady
  11. file — a document
  12. spell — letters
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spell — magic
  15. track — a song
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. firm — a company
  22. hand — help
  23. firm — decided
  24. pass — a permit

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