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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pass · saw · calf · wind · mine · chest · game · key

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — a match
  9. pass — a permit
  10. key — in music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wind — moving air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. key — the most important part
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — an explosive

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