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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. track — to keep track
  3. key — for a lock
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — in music
  9. object — a thing
  10. land — to come down
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — a country
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. club — a group
  16. spell — a short time
  17. land — ground
  18. club — for golf

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