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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. chip — to eat
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — to spend time

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