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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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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: rock · safe · chest · cap · cold · hide · face · key

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chest — of your body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chest — a box
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cap — a hat
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — not warm
  13. key — in music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. face — to confront
  16. key — the most important part
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cap — a lid
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rock — music

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