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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fall — the season
  7. net — for catching
  8. court — for sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — of a king
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. key — in music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fall — to drop
  19. toast — bread
  20. court — of law
  21. net — in sport
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. key — the most important part
  24. face — to confront

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