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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. can — a tin
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. key — in music
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — a match
  19. can — a tin
  20. rest — a break
  21. can — to be able to
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rest — what's left

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