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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — final
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. key — in music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. last — finally
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lie — to recline

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