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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. cap — a lid
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a match
  17. stock — shares
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. file — a tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a document

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