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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ground — a position
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. file — a document
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ground — the earth
  7. key — in music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — part of the head
  11. spring — the season
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. file — a tool
  14. key — the most important part
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a line of people
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. key — for a lock
  22. face — to confront
  23. ground — crushed
  24. spring — a coil

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