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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — a thing
  3. key — in music
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. key — the most important part
  8. object — an aim
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chest — a box
  11. season — in sport
  12. roll — a cake
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. object — to protest
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. season — of the year
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. roll — a list
  24. sharp — with an edge

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