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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mate — to breed
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. chip — for betting
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rash — hasty
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rash — a series
  13. field — for sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — a subject
  17. mate — a partner
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cue — a signal
  23. field — farmland
  24. key — for a lock

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