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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: key · face · stick · season · bore · snap · can · club

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. club — for dancing
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. club — a group
  10. can — a tin
  11. face — to confront
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. club — for golf
  14. snap — to click
  15. season — of the year
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. bore — to drill
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — in sport
  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