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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · key · patient · scale · tube · face · dip · rule

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. dip — to sink
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. toast — bread
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. scale — in music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. key — in music
  15. rule — government
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. face — to point toward
  18. tube — the underground
  19. face — part of the head
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rule — a law
  23. face — to confront
  24. scale — size or range

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