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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. file — a line of people
  9. key — in music
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — to confront
  13. file — a tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — a tin
  17. stock — shares
  18. file — a document
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. key — for a lock
  23. can — a tin
  24. stock — a soup base

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