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

Word bank: bound · straw · patient · deal · face · fork · key · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bound — obliged
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fork — in a road
  10. key — the most important part
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. key — in music
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rest — what's left

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