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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mug — to rob
  10. key — for a lock
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. roll — a list
  17. key — in music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bass — low music
  20. chest — a box
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mug — a face
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mug — a cup

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