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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. land — ground
  3. season — of the year
  4. land — to come down
  5. kid — child
  6. cue — a signal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chip — for betting
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — a country

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