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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. rest — what's left
  3. key — the most important part
  4. snap — to click
  5. rest — a break
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. key — in music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bulb — for light
  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