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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — the most important part
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a music group
  10. row — a line
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. staff — employees
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. row — to paddle
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kid — child
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kid — to tease

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