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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. foot — a measure
  5. face — to confront
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. face — to point toward
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — help
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. race — a contest
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. foot — the bottom
  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