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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spell — magic
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. spell — letters
  7. key — in music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. key — the most important part

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