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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. key — the most important part
  4. land — ground
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — a country
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a match
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to click
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. key — for a lock
  18. tube — a container
  19. key — in music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. game — wild animals
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. land — to come down

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