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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fall — to drop
  5. season — in sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fall — the season
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. key — in music
  13. tube — a container
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — of the year
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chair — to sit on

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