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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. race — humankind
  5. key — in music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — a contest
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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