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

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. lean — thin
  5. staff — employees
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pass — a permit
  10. shower — rain
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. staff — employees
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — a stick
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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