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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. season — of the year
  3. face — part of the head
  4. key — in music
  5. pop — soda
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. face — to confront
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rest — a break
  13. pop — music
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. key — for a lock
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bat — the animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pop — to visit
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. mine — for digging

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