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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: content · rest · kick · pitcher · date · face · chest · key

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. content — the amount
  5. key — in music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — happy
  16. kick — in football
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. key — for a lock
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chest — a box
  23. rest — a break
  24. key — the most important part

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