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

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. land — ground
  3. key — for a lock
  4. land — a country
  5. net — after costs
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. net — for catching
  9. land — to come down
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pit — a hole
  12. key — the most important part
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — in sport
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. key — in music
  24. cap — a lid

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