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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pit — in a race
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mine — for digging
  7. can — a tin
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fine — all right
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. key — in music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. land — to come down
  20. ground — crushed
  21. land — a country
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. ground — a position
  24. mine — an explosive

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