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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bound — obliged
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. face — to confront
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — tied together
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. face — part of the head
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bound — certain
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. plane — a tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. season — in sport
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. key — for a lock
  23. season — of the year
  24. clip — for paper

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