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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. game — a match
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — to confront
  6. bass — low music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. key — in music
  19. pit — in a race
  20. row — a line
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. face — to point toward
  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