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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — a lid
  8. key — in music
  9. rash — a series
  10. spell — letters
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stand — to bear
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cap — of ice
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stand — for spectators

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