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

Word bank: chip · pass · cap · last · squash · content · file · wave

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. last — finally
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. squash — the sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a document
  14. content — the amount
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. last — final
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cap — of ice
  19. content — happy
  20. file — a tool
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cap — a hat
  24. squash — to crush

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