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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pit — in a race
  5. face — to point toward
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hand — help
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bound — obliged
  14. key — in music
  15. capital — a city
  16. rock — a stone
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — a hole
  20. capital — money
  21. face — to confront
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bark — of a tree

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