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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — a break
  6. land — ground
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. capital — a city
  11. chip — to eat
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — to come down
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. land — a country
  24. fan — a supporter

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