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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 120 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. present — there
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cap — a hat
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cap — a lid
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. hand — in cards

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