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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: field · game · chip · cabinet · branch · rest · pass · chair

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rest — a break
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rest — what's left
  9. branch — a division
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chair — a leader
  16. game — a match
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. cabinet — ministers

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