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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. charge — in control
  3. chip — for betting
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. charge — electricity
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — a city
  14. charge — a price
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. staff — a stick
  18. degree — temperature
  19. capital — money
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. temple — side of the head

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