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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pass — a permit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tube — a container
  8. chip — for betting
  9. swing — music
  10. march — music
  11. hand — help
  12. swing — to play on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pass — to spend time

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