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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. band — a ring
  3. spell — a short time
  4. key — for a lock
  5. spell — letters
  6. spring — of water
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. spring — a coil
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pitch — completely
  13. charge — a price
  14. deal — to handle
  15. spring — the season
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. spell — magic
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. key — the most important part
  22. charge — in control
  23. band — a music group
  24. charge — electricity

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