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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · chip · club · sharp · tear · face · key · chair

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lie — to recline
  4. sharp — clever
  5. face — to point toward
  6. key — for a lock
  7. club — for golf
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chip — for betting
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. club — for dancing
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. face — part of the head
  19. club — a group
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. face — to confront
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. sharp — with an edge

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