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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. content — the amount
  3. dip — to sink
  4. key — in music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mate — to breed
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. content — happy
  9. mate — a friend
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. game — wild animals
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. game — a match
  15. pit — a hole
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pit — in a race
  24. straw — a straw man

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