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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. face — part of the head
  3. ground — a position
  4. cap — a hat
  5. season — in sport
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stock — goods
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ground — crushed
  15. perch — the fish
  16. face — to confront
  17. key — the most important part
  18. face — to point toward
  19. stock — shares
  20. season — of the year
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — the earth
  24. season — to add flavour

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