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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. degree — from a university
  7. key — in music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rock — music
  13. bore — to tire
  14. key — the most important part
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pit — a hole
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pit — in a race
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bore — to drill
  24. face — to confront

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