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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. row — a line
  5. last — final
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. deal — to handle
  9. last — to go on
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chip — to eat
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. season — in sport
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. last — finally

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