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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ball — a great time
  8. key — for a lock
  9. field — farmland
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitch — completely
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ball — a dance
  24. straw — dry grass

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