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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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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 · lie · row · track · fine · cell · leaves · rest

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fine — all right
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lie — to recline
  11. key — in music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. row — a line
  14. track — a path
  15. fine — high quality
  16. row — to paddle
  17. track — a song
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rest — a break
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rest — what's left

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