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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: chip · season · cue · net · band · mark · mine · pass

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. net — in sport
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. net — after costs
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cue — for pool
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chip — for betting
  17. net — for catching
  18. band — a music group
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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