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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rock — music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. hand — in cards
  7. sharp — clever
  8. can — a tin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. key — in music
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — help
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. chair — a leader
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rock — a stone
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cold — an illness
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cabinet — ministers

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