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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · cold · content · drill · net · key · hide · ball

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. content — happy
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. cold — not warm
  9. key — the most important part
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — for catching
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. content — the amount
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — after costs
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. key — in music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. drill — a practice
  24. net — in sport

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