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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · ruler · face · spell · field · net · lash · dip

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. net — after costs
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. field — for sport
  7. face — to point toward
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. key — in music
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — in sport
  12. spell — letters
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. key — for a lock
  15. field — farmland
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spell — magic
  20. net — for catching
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ruler — for measuring

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