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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · face · clip · fan · object · foot · wound · temple

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. key — for a lock
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. object — to protest
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — in music
  17. object — an aim
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. object — a thing
  22. face — to confront
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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