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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. mine — for digging
  7. face — part of the head
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rash — hasty
  10. toast — bread
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. face — to confront
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cell — a phone
  23. face — to point toward
  24. rash — a series

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