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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. face — to point toward
  3. key — in music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. capital — a city
  11. face — to confront
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. file — a tool
  14. capital — money
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wake — a trail
  17. file — a document
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hide — to keep secret

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