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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 · net · craft · spring · chip · mate · bowl · cold

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — of water
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. chip — for betting
  7. craft — boats
  8. chip — to eat
  9. net — after costs
  10. mate — to breed
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pass — a permit
  13. net — for catching
  14. spring — the season
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. net — in sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pass — to spend time

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