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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — the most important part
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wake — a trail
  5. suit — to fit
  6. march — the month
  7. cold — not warm
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. key — in music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. suit — in cards
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. suit — clothes
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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