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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: pass · season · suit · squash · row · date · chip · hand

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. suit — to fit
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chip — for betting
  8. row — to paddle
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hand — in cards
  11. season — in sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. suit — clothes
  15. row — a line
  16. pass — a permit
  17. chip — to eat
  18. season — of the year
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. date — the fruit
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. suit — in cards

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