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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — of water
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cold — an illness
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — a coil
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spring — the season
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. key — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. can — a tin

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