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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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 — the most important part
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. court — of law
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. land — ground
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. court — of a king
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mug — to rob
  14. key — in music
  15. mug — a face
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. land — a country
  20. court — for sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — to come down
  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