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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — for paper
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — after costs
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fall — the season
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. net — in sport
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ground — a position
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. key — in music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chair — a leader
  21. net — for catching
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. clip — a video
  24. chair — to sit on

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