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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pit — in a race
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. key — in music
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cap — of ice
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pit — a hole
  20. capital — a city
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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