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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. present — a gift
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rash — hasty
  5. swing — music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. present — the time now
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cell — in biology
  11. swing — to play on
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. face — to confront
  14. rash — a series
  15. present — there
  16. fork — in a road
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cell — a phone
  20. key — in music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. swing — in golf
  24. key — the most important part

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