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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — for a lock
  8. drill — the tool
  9. band — a music group
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. drill — army training
  15. key — in music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rash — a series
  21. spring — of water
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. band — a ring
  24. pass — to spend time

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