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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to click
  5. key — for a lock
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. key — in music
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fall — the season
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — the month
  24. fall — to drop

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