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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bound — obliged
  4. race — humankind
  5. game — a match
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. race — a contest
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. pass — a permit
  15. last — to go on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. perch — the fish
  18. race — the arms race
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — final
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. last — finally
  24. swing — to play on

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