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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · season · chip · pass · bass · stock · clip · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stock — shares
  10. season — of the year
  11. track — a path
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — a song
  14. clip — a video
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chip — for betting
  21. season — in sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bass — low music
  24. clip — for paper

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