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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pass — a permit
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. chip — for betting
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — to shout
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bat — for baseball

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