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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. face — to confront
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. key — the most important part
  20. face — to point toward
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bark — to shout
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. game — a match

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