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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fine — all right
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. key — the most important part
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stem — to come from
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. fine — high quality
  15. face — to confront
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. face — part of the head
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bat — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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