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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 116 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: pass · season · pit · bark · swing · net · chip · rule

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chip — to eat
  7. swing — in golf
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. net — in sport
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bark — to shout
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rule — a law
  18. season — of the year
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chip — for betting
  21. swing — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rule — government

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