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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. scale — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to sink
  14. march — the month
  15. rest — a break
  16. key — in music
  17. march — music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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