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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. key — the most important part
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. key — in music
  7. court — for sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. court — of law
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mate — a partner
  18. court — of a king
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — for a lock
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wake — a trail

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