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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. perch — the fish
  11. roll — a list
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. can — to be able to
  18. roll — a cake
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. key — the most important part
  21. can — a tin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fork — in a road
  24. key — in music

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