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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: key · pass · row · can · trunk · deal · last · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. key — the most important part
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. row — a line
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — a box
  10. deal — to handle
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. key — for a lock
  20. row — to paddle
  21. key — in music
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — finally
  24. trunk — of a car

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