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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. drill — a practice
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — letters
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — the month
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. march — music
  23. drill — army training
  24. dip — a sauce

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