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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a document
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. file — a tool
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chip — for betting

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