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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. bear — the animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. shower — rain
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. file — a tool
  10. key — in music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pass — a permit
  18. file — a document
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wake — a trail
  23. file — a line of people
  24. key — for a lock

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