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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — the most important part
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lean — thin
  5. cue — a hint
  6. capital — a city
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — money
  9. key — for a lock
  10. date — the fruit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rest — a break
  15. key — in music
  16. face — to point toward
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cue — a signal
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. sharp — exactly

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