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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. file — a document
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. face — to point toward
  10. file — a tool
  11. face — to confront
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. face — part of the head
  14. court — for sport
  15. key — in music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — of law
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — rain
  20. court — of a king
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fork — in a road

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