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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. can — a tin
  3. foot — a measure
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. can — to be able to
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. key — for a lock
  18. can — a tin
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. squash — to crush
  23. key — in music
  24. bulb — for light

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