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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 120 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: cap · mug · row · cabinet · key · game · wound · club

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cap — of ice
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — to rob
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mug — a face
  13. row — a line
  14. cap — a lid
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cap — a hat
  21. club — for dancing
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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