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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. snap — to click
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. file — a document
  12. rash — hasty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. key — in music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. key — the most important part
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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