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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: tear · face · key · board · game · shower · leaves · mug

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. key — in music
  4. mug — a face
  5. key — the most important part
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — to wash
  8. face — to confront
  9. game — a match
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. shower — rain
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mug — a cup
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. face — to point toward
  18. board — to get on
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mug — to rob
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — for a lock

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