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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. court — of law
  4. file — a line of people
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. file — a tool
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. can — a tin
  9. key — the most important part
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — in sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — of the year
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. court — for sport
  19. can — to be able to
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a document
  23. key — in music
  24. pass — a permit

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