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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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. key — the most important part
  4. chest — a box
  5. charge — a price
  6. key — in music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. club — a group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — for golf
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — for dancing

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