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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fine — all right
  5. key — in music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mine — for digging
  12. face — to confront
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. face — to point toward
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fine — high quality
  23. key — the most important part
  24. game — wild animals

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