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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. present — there
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — the time now
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. face — to confront
  8. staff — employees
  9. key — for a lock
  10. face — to point toward
  11. squash — to crush
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. squash — the sport
  15. present — a gift
  16. staff — employees
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fine — all right
  21. key — in music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fine — high quality
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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