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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. craft — a skill
  3. staff — employees
  4. craft — boats
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. staff — a stick
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. key — in music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. staff — employees
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cold — the Cold War

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