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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chest — of your body
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chest — a box
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wound — an injury
  8. deal — to handle
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — a match
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. key — in music
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. deal — a big deal

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