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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: lie · mate · face · key · board · kid · season · cold

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. key — the most important part
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kid — to tease
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cold — not warm
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. board — a committee
  10. season — of the year
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. kid — child
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — in sport
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lie — to recline
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. board — to get on
  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