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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cap — a hat
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — help
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — in sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. net — after costs
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. board — a committee
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — in music
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. spell — letters
  23. cap — a lid
  24. coach — a trainer

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