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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. face — to confront
  4. spring — of water
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pop — soda
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spring — the season
  9. pop — music
  10. band — a ring
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. key — in music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pop — to visit
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. band — a music group
  23. key — the most important part
  24. face — to point toward

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