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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. club — for dancing
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. face — to point toward
  5. key — the most important part
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. face — to confront
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. key — in music
  12. hand — help
  13. plane — a tool
  14. squash — to crush
  15. club — for golf
  16. hand — in cards
  17. date — the fruit
  18. squash — the sport
  19. face — part of the head
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. club — a group
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hand — part of the body

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