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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — for a lock
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — completely
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. staff — employees
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. tear — to rip
  23. key — in music
  24. hand — help

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