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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 120 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pass — a permit
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — a hint
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cue — for pool

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