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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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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: rock · key · pass · hide · wake · chest · mine · snap

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. key — in music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rock — music
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. snap — to click
  23. chest — a box
  24. wake — a trail

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