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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. net — for catching
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cell — a phone
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bound — tied together
  12. game — a match
  13. net — after costs
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cell — in biology
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bound — obliged
  21. face — to confront
  22. bound — certain
  23. key — the most important part
  24. net — in sport

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