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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. firm — a company
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. firm — steady
  16. prune — to trim
  17. firm — decided
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. key — in music

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