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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chest — a box
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. face — to point toward
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. face — part of the head
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. face — to confront
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — in music
  19. row — a line
  20. key — the most important part
  21. row — to paddle
  22. toast — bread
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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