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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 120 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: ruler · straw · mine · clip · pit · key · bound · face

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. face — to point toward
  3. key — in music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bound — obliged
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pit — a hole
  19. face — part of the head
  20. key — the most important part
  21. face — to confront
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. clip — a video
  24. mine — belonging to me

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