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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: key · mouse · dip · object · race · tear · cabinet · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. object — an aim
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. object — a thing
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. key — for a lock
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. key — in music
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. key — the most important part
  17. object — to protest
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. race — the arms race
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. tear — to rip
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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