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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 120 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: chest · pass · face · swing · key · rest · content · rock

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chest — of your body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rock — music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. face — to confront
  10. swing — music
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — in golf
  13. key — in music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chest — a box
  17. key — the most important part
  18. content — happy
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rest — a break
  24. rock — a stone

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