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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: face · can · club · spring · key · firm · pit · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — in a race
  5. firm — decided
  6. key — for a lock
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — to point toward
  11. club — for dancing
  12. key — in music
  13. club — for golf
  14. pit — a hole
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — part of the head
  17. can — to be able to
  18. firm — a company
  19. can — a tin
  20. firm — steady
  21. club — a group
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — the season
  24. face — to confront

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