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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. key — in music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rest — a break
  7. mug — a face
  8. face — to confront
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ground — a position
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. key — for a lock
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wound — an injury

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