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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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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: spring · kick · arm · key · wind · rock · face · pass

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — of water
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — a coil
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rock — music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spring — the season
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. face — to confront
  22. key — in music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — in football

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