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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fork — in a road
  5. face — to point toward
  6. key — the most important part
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lean — thin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. key — in music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. clip — for paper

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