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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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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 · last · track · game · safe · chip · mine · pass

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. key — in music
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. track — a path
  5. pass — a permit
  6. last — final
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — a match
  11. chip — for betting
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. last — to go on
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. track — to keep track
  19. key — for a lock
  20. last — finally
  21. game — wild animals
  22. key — the most important part
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. safe — a strongbox

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