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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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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cue — a hint
  7. face — to confront
  8. key — in music
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lean — thin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — part of the head
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cue — a signal
  24. key — the most important part

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