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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. present — the time now
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mark — a trace
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. scale — in music
  11. spell — letters
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. key — in music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spell — a short time
  17. present — there
  18. scale — size or range
  19. content — the amount
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. present — a gift

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