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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 116 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: trunk · game · face · wake · fall · key · straw · deal

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. face — to point toward
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wake — a trail
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. key — the most important part
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. game — a kind of play

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