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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. net — for catching
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chip — for betting
  5. club — for dancing
  6. file — a tool
  7. club — a group
  8. file — a line of people
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. march — music
  12. net — after costs
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chip — to eat
  15. club — for golf
  16. file — a document
  17. net — in sport
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bear — the animal

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