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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spell — a short time
  6. staff — a stick
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — for a lock
  10. face — part of the head
  11. spell — letters
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — magic
  17. staff — employees
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. key — in music
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. staff — employees
  24. racket — a loud noise

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