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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. key — the most important part
  4. roll — a list
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. tube — a container
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. key — in music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. key — for a lock
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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