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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: face · mouse · net · jam · rush · key · bark · object

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. object — to protest
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. net — for catching
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — in sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. net — after costs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — the most important part
  11. object — a thing
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. object — an aim
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. key — in music
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. face — to confront
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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