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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rest — a break
  4. fine — all right
  5. present — the time now
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — to confront
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. face — part of the head
  15. track — to keep track
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rest — what's left
  20. key — in music
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. track — a path
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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