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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 · chest · pound · key · pit · mark · wake · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. chest — a box
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. key — in music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chest — of your body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pound — a weight

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