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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. club — for golf
  3. key — in music
  4. face — to confront
  5. prune — to trim
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. club — for dancing
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. club — a group
  13. tube — the underground
  14. scale — in music
  15. land — ground
  16. key — the most important part
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. scale — size or range
  21. face — part of the head
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. land — a country
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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