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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — in music
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. key — for a lock
  6. suit — in cards
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. staff — a stick
  11. suit — to fit
  12. net — in sport
  13. key — the most important part
  14. suit — clothes
  15. last — final
  16. roll — a list
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. net — for catching
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. net — after costs
  22. roll — a cake
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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