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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bat — the animal
  3. suit — clothes
  4. key — the most important part
  5. ground — a position
  6. game — a match
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bank — for money
  9. game — wild animals
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. scale — in music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bank — for money
  17. suit — in cards
  18. key — in music
  19. bank — of a river
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. suit — to fit
  23. ground — the earth
  24. scale — for weighing

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