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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. track — to keep track
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. chip — for betting
  9. can — to be able to
  10. track — a path
  11. fall — the season
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pass — a permit
  16. capital — a city
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. can — a tin
  23. capital — money
  24. can — a tin

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