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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fall — to drop
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chip — for betting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. shower — rain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fall — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cabinet — ministers

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