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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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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: wind · cold · key · lie · can · pit · mark · rock

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cold — not warm
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pit — in a race
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. can — a tin
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mark — a trace
  22. key — for a lock
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wind — moving air

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