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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. key — for a lock
  3. march — music
  4. row — a line
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. march — the month
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. face — to confront
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. board — a committee
  20. dip — to sink
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. row — to paddle
  23. board — to get on
  24. face — part of the head

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