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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kick — in football
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — of water
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. face — to confront
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. key — in music

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