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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. field — for sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rock — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — farmland
  14. pitch — completely
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. field — a subject
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chip — to eat

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