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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — a partner
  5. key — in music
  6. current — of water
  7. key — for a lock
  8. scale — size or range
  9. current — happening now
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. scale — in music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mate — to breed
  21. current — electric
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rest — a break
  24. hide — to keep secret

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