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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: chest · pass · straw · key · lie · mine · toast · ball

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. key — for a lock
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ball — a dance
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. key — the most important part
  20. toast — bread
  21. key — in music
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pass — a permit
  24. ball — a great time

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