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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chip — to eat
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to confront
  9. band — a music group
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. face — to point toward
  12. band — a ring
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. chip — for betting
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. face — part of the head
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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