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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · fall · pass · trunk · snap · chair · key · hand

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fall — the season
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. snap — to click
  9. stock — shares
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. key — in music
  17. stock — goods
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. key — the most important part

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