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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — in sport
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. clip — a video
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ground — a position
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rash — a series
  12. net — after costs
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. net — for catching
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ground — the earth
  17. clip — to cut
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rash — hasty
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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