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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. object — an aim
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. key — for a lock
  7. face — to confront
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cell — in biology
  10. chest — a box
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. staff — a stick
  15. face — to point toward
  16. object — to protest
  17. bat — the animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. face — part of the head
  20. staff — employees
  21. cell — a phone
  22. key — in music
  23. object — a thing
  24. chest — of your body

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