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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I seem to be developing 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. key — in music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rash — hasty
  11. key — for a lock
  12. track — a path
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cold — not warm
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rash — a series
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rash — on the skin

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