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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 120 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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Word bank
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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. band — a ring
  6. kick — in football
  7. key — in music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pass — a permit
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rock — music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. rock — a stone
  21. band — a music group
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. band — a rubber band

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