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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spring — of water
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. tube — a container
  8. plane — a tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spring — the season
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chip — for betting

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