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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cap — a hat
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mine — for digging
  6. key — the most important part
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — of ice
  15. perch — the fish
  16. deal — to handle
  17. face — to confront
  18. cap — a lid
  19. tube — a container
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. key — in music
  24. deal — a big deal

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