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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: cold · ruler · stick · field · key · cabinet · mouse · safe

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — farmland
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. field — for sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. safe — a strongbox

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