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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mug — a face
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mug — to rob
  12. face — to confront
  13. key — the most important part
  14. net — for catching
  15. cold — an illness
  16. net — after costs
  17. face — part of the head
  18. key — in music
  19. cold — not warm
  20. net — in sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bulb — for light

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