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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. lie — to recline
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. key — in music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rule — government
  7. face — to point toward
  8. game — a match
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — wild animals
  11. key — for a lock
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — to confront
  14. file — a tool
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. face — part of the head
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a document
  23. squash — to crush
  24. rule — a law

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