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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — in music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pass — a permit
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chest — a box
  15. track — a path
  16. file — a document
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. file — a tool
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. patient — a sick person

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