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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: fine · cell · row · face · lash · staff · key · game

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cell — a phone
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. staff — a stick
  6. key — for a lock
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. face — to point toward
  11. key — the most important part
  12. face — to confront
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cell — in biology
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. key — in 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