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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. degree — temperature
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chip — for betting
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. shower — rain
  13. chip — to eat
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a hole
  21. land — ground
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pass — to succeed

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