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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lie — to recline
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cap — of ice
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — certain
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. scale — in music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rest — what's left
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. key — in music
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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