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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. court — for sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wind — moving air
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. face — part of the head
  12. court — of a king
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — a break
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cell — in biology
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pit — in a race
  19. face — to confront
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pit — a hole

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