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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bore — to tire
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bore — to drill
  6. key — in music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lie — to recline
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spell — magic
  18. wake — before a funeral

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