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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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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: present · key · pit · stick · wave · snap · tube · face

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. key — the most important part
  3. face — to confront
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. key — in music
  9. present — a gift
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tube — a container
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. pit — in a race
  18. key — for a lock
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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