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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: key · mouse · straw · fan · capital · face · hand · lie

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. face — to point toward
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — help
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. lie — to recline
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. key — the most important part
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — money
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — to confront
  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