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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: arm · mine · key · pass · trunk · file · chest · sharp

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. file — a document
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. key — for a lock
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. file — a line of people
  13. chest — a box
  14. pass — a permit
  15. file — a tool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. sharp — clever
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. key — in music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chest — of your body
  24. arm — part of the body

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