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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. court — of law
  3. mug — to rob
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mug — a cup
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chest — of your body
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. face — to confront
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mug — a face
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. can — a tin
  17. cap — a hat
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chest — a box
  21. cap — of ice
  22. court — of a king
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — a container

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