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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. plane — a tool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spring — of water
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. chip — to eat
  16. spring — the season
  17. kid — child
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pass — a permit

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