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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — bread
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. key — for a lock
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cap — of ice
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. key — in music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bore — to tire
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cap — a hat
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. trunk — of a tree

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