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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. face — to point toward
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pound — a weight
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spring — the season
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. key — in music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. chest — a box

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