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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. vault — a safe
  3. face — to confront
  4. swing — in golf
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bore — to tire
  8. key — for a lock
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chip — to eat
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. swing — music
  16. row — a line
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chip — for betting

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