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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. field — farmland
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — a subject
  17. game — a match
  18. rash — a series
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. field — for sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bear — the animal

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