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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 116 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 · cap · pitcher · cell · ground · lash · calf · face

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — in music
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ground — crushed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. key — for a lock
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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