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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
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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: can · net · rest · season · object · key · chest · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chest — of your body
  4. key — in music
  5. object — an aim
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — a thing
  9. key — the most important part
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. net — after costs
  13. season — of the year
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rest — what's left
  18. net — in sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. season — in sport
  21. can — a tin
  22. object — to protest
  23. net — for catching
  24. can — a tin

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