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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — a coil
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — the season
  9. face — part of the head
  10. row — a line
  11. snap — to click
  12. spring — of water
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. face — to confront
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lie — to recline
  20. row — to paddle
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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