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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. file — a document
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. capital — money
  6. object — an aim
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ground — crushed
  11. object — a thing
  12. spring — the season
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ground — a position
  17. capital — a city
  18. object — to protest
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stock — shares
  21. spring — of water
  22. file — a line of people
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stock — goods

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