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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 124 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. key — for a lock
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. land — to come down
  11. key — in music
  12. face — to point toward
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cell — a phone
  16. face — to confront
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. foot — a measure
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bowl — a dish

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