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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mug — to rob
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mug — a face
  11. last — to go on
  12. mate — a friend
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. last — finally
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cell — in biology

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