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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. face — part of the head
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. face — to confront
  10. game — wild animals
  11. content — happy
  12. saw — the tool
  13. key — in music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. chair — a leader
  16. key — the most important part
  17. content — the amount
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stem — to come from
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. saw — the tool

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