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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. key — in music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stem — to come from
  10. spring — a coil
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — of water
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. spring — the season
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. snap — to click
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fan — to cool the air

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