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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. pit — in a race
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rash — a series
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bound — tied together
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bound — certain
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — hasty
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mouse — the animal

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