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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pop — to visit
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — a city
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rash — hasty
  15. capital — money
  16. mug — a face
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — soda
  20. key — in music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pop — music

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