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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spell — magic
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rock — music
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. key — in music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — letters
  16. pit — a hole
  17. key — the most important part
  18. spell — a short time

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