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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. key — for a lock
  10. field — farmland
  11. face — to confront
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — a subject
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stand — to bear
  20. can — a tin
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. field — for sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. wake — a trail

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