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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. face — to confront
  3. kid — child
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. face — to point toward
  9. track — a song
  10. bound — certain
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fall — the season
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — to drop
  20. face — part of the head
  21. key — in music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. suit — clothes
  24. kid — to tease

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