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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: bore · last · face · court · key · rest · rash · hand

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. hand — in cards
  6. court — of law
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rash — a series
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — help
  12. rest — a break
  13. key — the most important part
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bore — to tire
  24. last — finally

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