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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. suit — in cards
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spell — magic
  9. key — in music
  10. suit — to fit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. land — ground
  13. face — to confront
  14. spell — letters
  15. suit — clothes
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. face — part of the head
  18. drill — army training
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — a short time

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