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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — soda
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rash — a series
  8. cell — in biology
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pop — to visit
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — to point toward
  23. perch — the fish
  24. leaves — to go away

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