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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
468
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: snap · tube · chest · roll · sharp · key · season · pass

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. key — in music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — of the year
  10. chest — a box
  11. roll — a cake
  12. sharp — clever
  13. snap — to click
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. roll — a list
  20. key — for a lock
  21. season — in sport
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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