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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. key — for a lock
  5. land — a country
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. net — after costs
  8. key — the most important part
  9. content — happy
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. key — in music
  12. land — ground
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mark — a grade
  16. net — for catching
  17. land — to come down
  18. mark — a trace

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