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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — to come down
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. lie — to recline
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. craft — a skill
  10. key — in music
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. shower — to wash
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. face — to confront
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. craft — boats
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. shower — rain
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. land — a country

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