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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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. key — for a lock
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. kick — in football
  6. scale — size or range
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. net — for catching
  10. key — in music
  11. rest — a break
  12. track — to keep track
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. net — after costs
  19. pass — a permit
  20. net — in sport
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pass — to spend time

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