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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rash — hasty
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lie — to recline
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. staff — employees
  24. prune — to trim

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