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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: rush · fork · pit · key · bark · pass · fine · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pass — a permit
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rush — hurry
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fork — to eat with

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