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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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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. face — to confront
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spring — the season
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. stock — goods
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pit — a hole
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stock — shares

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