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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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Word bank
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. file — a document
  3. field — a subject
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — after costs
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. field — for sport
  10. key — in music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. file — a tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. net — for catching
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. key — the most important part
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. net — in sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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