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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. staff — employees
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stock — goods
  8. tear — from crying
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pass — a permit
  14. tear — to rip
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bark — to shout
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. staff — employees
  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