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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. face — to confront
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mate — to breed
  5. shower — rain
  6. rash — hasty
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — a series
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mate — a friend
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mate — a partner
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. key — in music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. perch — the fish
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. safe — out of danger

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