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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pass — a permit
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fine — high quality
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — in music
  18. snap — to click
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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