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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — to confront
  3. key — in music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. track — a song
  7. bound — obliged
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lie — to recline
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cue — for pool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bound — tied together
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bound — certain
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cue — a signal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. file — a document
  24. track — a path

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