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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kick — in football
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. key — in music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chest — of your body
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. capital — a city
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. chest — a box

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