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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: face · can · pass · cell · toast · key · tear · cue

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cue — a signal
  5. can — a tin
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. key — for a lock
  12. face — to confront
  13. toast — bread
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cue — a hint
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cell — in biology
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — in music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. face — to point toward

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