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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: rash · snap · key · spell · arm · bulb · pitcher · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spell — magic
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. key — the most important part
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bulb — for light
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. face — to point toward
  21. key — for a lock
  22. face — part of the head
  23. key — in music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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