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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · leaves · deal · game · present · chest · spring · key

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. game — wild animals
  5. present — a gift
  6. game — a match
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. key — the most important part
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. chest — of your body
  11. present — the time now
  12. key — in music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — a box
  20. deal — to handle
  21. present — there
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — of a tree

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