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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. snap — to click
  4. ground — a position
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wind — moving air
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pass — a permit
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rash — a series
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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