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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fine — high quality
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. key — in music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — all right
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cap — a lid
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — a box
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cap — of ice
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chest — of your body

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