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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. calf — of the leg
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pass — a permit
  5. court — of law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — in music
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. toast — bread
  13. court — of a king
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. court — for sport
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. key — the most important part
  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