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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. club — a group
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. club — for golf
  18. chip — to eat
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. club — for dancing
  24. date — on the calendar

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