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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — help
  9. rush — hurry
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spring — a coil
  15. key — in music
  16. spring — the season
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. deal — to handle
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cold — an illness
  23. key — the most important part
  24. hand — part of the body

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