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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
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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: face · key · wake · rash · deal · bound · cell · land

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cell — in biology
  3. land — a country
  4. bound — certain
  5. face — part of the head
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cell — a phone
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. key — for a lock
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wake — a trail
  14. land — ground
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rash — a series
  22. land — to come down
  23. rash — hasty
  24. key — in 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