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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. key — for a lock
  3. track — a song
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — the most important part
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — a path
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. face — to confront
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fork — in a road
  17. key — in music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. track — to keep track
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cold — an illness

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