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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chip — to eat
  7. saw — the tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — from a university
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — temperature

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