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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: key · file · board · cap · wake · kid · pass · sharp

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pass — a permit
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. file — a line of people
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. board — to get on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. file — a tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. file — a document
  24. sharp — exactly

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