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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · stem · pit · mine · cabinet · march · pitcher · snap

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. key — for a lock
  11. march — the month
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. march — music
  18. key — in music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stem — to come from
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. snap — to click

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