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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: cabinet · key · cap · jam · chair · row · wound · present

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. present — a gift
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cap — a hat
  8. present — there
  9. key — for a lock
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. key — the most important part
  22. cap — of ice
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. present — the time now

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