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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. key — the most important part
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — in music
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. band — a music group
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. vault — a safe
  22. key — for a lock
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. band — a ring

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