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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kick — in football
  3. spring — of water
  4. pitch — completely
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. drill — the tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. face — to confront
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spring — the season
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. key — in music
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spring — a coil
  23. key — for a lock
  24. face — part of the head

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