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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. game — a match
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. key — in music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. key — the most important part
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. key — for a lock
  24. game — wild animals

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