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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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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: mate · cabinet · key · snap · pass · wind · cold · bulb

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. snap — to click
  3. wind — moving air
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cold — not warm
  15. key — in music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mate — a friend
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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