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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. perch — the fish
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — to confront
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hand — help
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. deal — an agreement

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