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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — the most important part
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a line
  9. key — in music
  10. hand — help
  11. field — a subject
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. field — farmland
  19. cap — a hat
  20. field — for sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. key — for a lock
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cap — a lid

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