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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 116 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: track · face · squash · club · spring · plane · suit · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. suit — to fit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. face — to point toward
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spring — a coil
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spring — the season
  9. suit — in cards
  10. plane — a tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — to crush
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. key — in music
  16. suit — clothes
  17. track — a path
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. squash — the sport
  22. track — a song
  23. spring — of water
  24. key — for a lock

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