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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · pit · face · key · roll · chest · mug · bark

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. mug — to rob
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mug — a cup
  9. key — in music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chest — a box
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pit — a hole
  16. face — to confront
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bark — to shout
  20. roll — a list
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mug — a face
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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