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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. can — a tin
  3. pass — a permit
  4. file — a tool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. file — a line of people
  9. can — to be able to
  10. charge — a price
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — in control
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. can — a tin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mine — for digging
  24. file — a document

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