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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 · sharp · hand · pitcher · key · arm · pop · roll

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — soda
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pop — to visit
  21. key — in music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pop — music

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