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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pit — a hole
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rash — a series
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pit — in a race
  15. file — a document
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cell — in biology

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