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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pop — soda
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pop — to visit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chest — a box
  16. pop — music
  17. key — in music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. shower — rain
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chair — to sit on

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