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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. last — final
  3. key — the most important part
  4. swing — to play on
  5. last — finally
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. face — to confront
  8. key — for a lock
  9. swing — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. board — to get on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. key — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. last — to go on
  22. board — a committee
  23. face — part of the head
  24. scale — in music

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