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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — a short time
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. key — the most important part
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. key — in music
  19. spell — magic
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. face — to confront
  23. spell — letters
  24. kid — to tease

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