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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 · season · file · bore · squash · key · snap · ground

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ground — a position
  4. season — in sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. file — a document
  8. key — in music
  9. snap — to click
  10. ground — the earth
  11. key — for a lock
  12. file — a tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bore — to tire
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bore — to drill
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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