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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 124 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. 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. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. key — in music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. row — a line
  13. can — a tin
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. key — for a lock
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bat — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. key — the most important part
  24. 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