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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.

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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. face — to point toward
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. key — the most important part
  8. race — humankind
  9. face — part of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. staff — a stick
  13. race — a contest
  14. kid — to tease
  15. key — in music
  16. content — happy
  17. face — to confront
  18. kid — child
  19. content — the amount
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. staff — employees
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chair — a leader

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