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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cold — not warm
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cold — an illness
  9. key — in music
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pit — in a race
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. craft — boats
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rock — to move gently

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