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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. key — the most important part
  3. season — of the year
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — to confront
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. key — in music
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rash — hasty
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chest — a box
  13. key — for a lock
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. capital — a city
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. season — in sport

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