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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. spring — of water
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. face — to confront
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. key — for a lock
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spring — the season
  13. fine — all right
  14. key — in music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. land — ground
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. key — the most important part
  21. foot — a measure
  22. land — a country
  23. spring — a coil
  24. land — to come down

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